Pac-12 women's basketball: Cal falls to Arizona State 64-49

BERKELEY - Elisha Davis never hesitates in getting the ball to Katie Hempen. The Arizona State point guard knows a good thing when she sees it.

Hempen scored 14 of her 17 points in the second half in helping the ninth-ranked Sun Devils hold off California 64-49 Friday night.

"Regardless of how she's doing, I want her to keep shooting," Davis said. "I have confidence with everyone on the team. We're balanced and we need to work together to create things."

Hempen made five of seven 3-pointers, one shy of her career-high, and was 6 for 9 overall from the field as the Sun Devils (21-4, 12-1 Pac-12) won for the 18th time in 19 games. Sophie Brunner had 11 points and Arnevia Hawkins added 10.

"We fell in love with the 3-pointer," Arizona State coach Charli Turner Thorne said. "We hit one early and pretty soon we're not getting paint touches. We want to go inside out. Katie, though, has the green light."

Courtney Range scored 14 points for the Bears (11-13, 2-11), who have lost nine of 10. Mikayla Cowling added 11 points and Mo Moseley and Gabby Green each had 10.

Range was 4 for 12 from the field but made all three of her 3-point attempts.

The Sun Devils pulled away from the Bears midway through the third quarter, using a 13-0 run helped by three Cal turnovers, to open a double-digit lead in a just over a two-minute stretch.

Cowling hit a jumper to tie the score at 31 for the Bears before Arizona State took off. Hempen scored eight points during the run, including two consecutive 3-pointers, each from opposite corners.

"Hempen was the difference in the game. She moves all as well as anyone in our league without the ball," California coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. "She'll run you off screens. She created a lot for herself and there were a couple on our breakdowns."

Hempen has hit double figures in three straight games for the first time since opening the season with five straight.

The Sun Devils took a 48-37 advantage into the fourth quarter.

Arizona State went scoreless over the final seven minutes of the second quarter and then missed its first three attempts of the third before Brunner, the team's leading scorer, hit her first basket of the game on a putback at 8:54.

Arizona State went on a 17-3 run spanning the first two quarters to open its biggest lead of the half at 24-15. The Sun Devils were 1 for 14 from the field after, allowing the Bears to tie the score at 26 by halftime.

TIP INS:

Arizona State: The Sun Devils averaged 17.6 points off turnovers entering play. ... Senior Elisha Davis, who prepped at Berkeley High, made her final collegiate appearance in her hometown. ... The Sun Devils, who improved to 19-2 in their last 21 road games, scored a season-low five points in the second quarter.

California: Sophomore G Gabby Green returned to the starting lineup for the first time in seven games. She missed five games because of personal matters and came off the bench against Stanford last Friday. "When Gabby was out, she was still working hard," Gottlieb said. "She had a solid night."

SIDELINDED FROSH:

California's 6-4 Kristine Anigwe, the leading candidate for Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, did not suit up for the game, a coaches' decision. "I have no doubt this will end up being a positive thing for us down the road," Gottlieb said. "She'll be ready to go Sunday."

UP NEXT:

Arizona State: At No. 13 Stanford on Sunday.

California: Hosts Arizona on Sunday.